Sample-trunk for hats.



Patented Nov. ll, I902. W. C. RICHARDS;

SAMPLE TRUNK FOR HATS.

(Application filed July 20, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEICE.

WILLIAM (J. RICHARDS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SAM PLE-TRUNK FOR HATS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 713,495, dated November 11, 1902.

Application filed July 20,1900. Serial No. 24,327. (No model.)

To all 1071 0111, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM C. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsinSample-Trunks forHats, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to hat-carrying trays for sample-trunks, and more especially to the type of such carrying-trays which form the subject-matter of my prior Letters Patent, No. 545,947, issued the 6th day of August, 1895.

The object of the present improvementis to provide a simple, durable, and convenient arrangement of a series of hat-carrying trays which occupy the interior of the sample trunk or casing, and which,in addition to affording great carrying capacity,con1bine safety to the individual hats and also afford a very ready and convenient means for the removal and display of the filled hat-carrying trays, all as will hereinafter more fully appear, and be more particularly pointed out in the claim.

I attain such object by the formation and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a sample-trunk for hats embodying the present improvements; Fig. 2, a fragmentary transverse sectional elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a plan view of the trunk with the cover removed; Fig. 4, a fragmentary perspective view of one of the trays and illustrating the construction and arrangement of the corner-posts thereof; Fig. 5, an enlarged detail section illustrating the padded forma tion of the present invention for the hat-receiving orifices of the trays.

Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts in the several Views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the body of the sample-trunk of any ordinary or usual construction provided with the usual' tray-shaped cover 2, by which a closure is effected.

3 and 4 are the series of hat receiving and holding trays or carriers arranged horizontally within the interior of the trunkin a separated relation, and which separated relation of the trays is efiected in the present improvement by means of corner-posts 5 and 6,

that extend vertically from above and below the trays, and which posts rest end to end and one upon the other to attain the desired separated relation of the trays, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

WVith the above-described construction a very light,durable,and substantial tray struc: ture is afforded in that with a greatly-reduced amount of projection of the corner-posts away from their points of attachment to the body of the tray the required distance between the trays is attained. The trays 3 and 4 will be provided with the series of spaced orifices or apertures that extend through the same and of a size and form approximating that of the crowns of the hats they are intended to receive. 7 and 8 are bushings fitting said orifices and extending a distance above the top surface of the trays to afford a means of attachment for the series of marginal felt cushions 9 and 10, which are adapted to support the contained series of nested hats by means of the brims of the lowermost hats of the different series resting upon the top surface of the cushions, and to the-end that said cushions will support in a safe and secnremanner the series of hats by the brim portion such cushions will extend the required distance above the top of. the trays, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 5of the drawings, and their upper surfaces, so that their upper surfaces may be made to conform to the curved contour of the hat-brims in order to attain an extended and uniform abutment or rest for the contacting surfaces of such hat-brims.

In my preferred construction, as illustrated in 1 and 2 of the drawings, I arrange the hat holding and carrying trays in two distinct series of tiers, that are separated by an intermediate closed or imperforate partition 11 to form a distinct separation of the entire number of trays in two series of tiers, and as so arranged one series is intended to receive soft felt hats and the other stiif hats of felt and the like.

In the commercial production of the present invention it was found necessary for the sake of a greater capacity that the arrangement of the hat-holding orifices in one tier of trays differ from the arrangement of such series of orifices in the other tier of trays, and accordingly it was found necessary to separate such upper and lower tiers of trays by means of the imperforate partition above described, so that the lowermost series of hatcrowns in the upper tier would not bear upon the uppermostseries of hat-brirns in the lower tier mar and crush such contacting hat portions. W'ith tiers of hats all alike no such provision is required in that the same will nest compactly together, the crown of one hat entering the brim-opening of the next adjacent hat below.

12 and 13 are closed-bottom bags, of cloth or otherlike flexible material, depending from the hat-receiving apertures of the lowermost tray of each separate tier of trays which may be arranged within the sample-trunk, and which bags are adapted to receive and proteot the crowns of the respective series of nested hats that are contained within such lower trays.

14 and 1% are vertical cleats or bars secured to the interior of the trunk-body adjacent to the respective corners of the same, and which provision in the present improvement is adapted to fulfil a two fold functionto wit, to constitute guides and end bearings for the ends of the respective trays and partitions and permit of a more easy removal and replacement of the same, in that passages are thereby provided which permit of the ready escape of the air to be displaced from the bottom portion of the trunk when the trays or partition is introduced into place, as well as to permit of a ready reentry of such air in a subsequent operation of removing the trays or partition.

15 and 15 are handles or hasps near the ends of the respective trays for convenient removal and replacement of the same.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what Iclaiin as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a sample-trunk for hats of the character herein described, the combination with the trunk-body, of a series of superimposed trays held in separated relation, each tray being provided with a series of hat-receiving apertures, and each aperture provided with a bushing extending above the top of the tray, and an annular cushion encircling the projecting end of said bushing, and one of the trays provided with a series of pendent bags adapted to receive the crowns of the nested hats, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me at St. Louis, Missouri, this 17th day of July, 1900.

WILLIAM C. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

ALFRED E. BAKER, KATE L. MURPHY. 

